Precious Bloodstained Memories
by Spiritwalker-D30X
Summary: When Séonais, the last Maormer princess, finds herself in the province of Skyrim, many misfortunes, adventures, and mysteries befall her. After killing Grelod the Kind, Séonais notices strange feelings. Will Séonais slowly descend into madness? Is madness really such a bad thing? Eventual Cicero/OC, possible spoilers to the Dark Brotherhood questline. Rated M for gore.
1. Escape

**'Ello everyone! My first story here, hope it's decent at least and that you enjoy it!**

**I understand that a few of you may be confused on the subject of Maormer. To sum it up very briefly, the Maormer, or Sea Elves, are natives of a far off region known as Pyandonea. For more information on this, simply Google "Elder Scrolls Maormer". Google is your friend.**

**I will say this only once-I'm too lazy to put a disclaimer in every single chapter-I do not own the lore, story, or characters included in this story other than my OC Séonais (pronounced SAY-ohe-niss). Oh, and sorry this first chapter's so short, I'll add more I promise! ^^;**

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So long ago, yet it feels like only yesterday… Time, my greatest enemy. Time has a way of doing that, it seems. Forgetting, then remembering again, only to have the memories fade away to near nothingness… I was alive, however, although I'm still not quite sure whether I should be thankful or not. The disease gnawed at my soul. I couldn't take it anymore. If only they would release me…

I groaned and lied limp against the cold metal bars of the cell. _How long have I been here? Where exactly __is__ 'here'? _So many questions rushed through my mind, but they all answered themselves eventually.

"Aren't you worried someone will wander in here? The entrance isn't exactly hidden, you know…" Came a male voice from somewhere near my cell.

"This again?" Said a second voice, obviously a bit irritated "I told you, we have a guard posted, so stop your worrying and get some rest. Your shift is coming up soon, and I don't want you dozing off like you did last time."

"But… What of… What of _her_?" inquired the first voice "Someone has to watch her, she'll-"

"She'll what? That cell is made of pure steel. No way she's getting out of that."

"Yeah, guess you're right… Hey, how much gold you figure we get for her?" The first voice asked

"A lot, I'll tell you that. Sea Elves is rare. Rare is valuable." I could almost hear the sly grin in the other's voice. "But now you really need to sleep. I'm going to go check the stocks."

Lifting my head slightly, I caught a glimpse of a rather buff looking Nord bandit walk off onto a ramp, and another one lying down on a nearby bedroll. Among other things, I spotted a small table on which a ring of keys sat. _If I could just…_ I struggled to draw upon my magicka reserves. I don't know what the bandits had done to me, exactly, but I was pretty weak. Maybe they drugged me?

Sneaking a wary glance at the sleeping bandit, I cast a Fast Healing spell on myself, and then glanced at the bandit again. He was still snoring loudly. I let out a relieved sigh, feeling much better. I winced however, noticing that my ribs were still a bit sore. Ah well, they would get better in time.

After waiting a while, I took another quick look at the sleeping brigand. He didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon, so I took a big risk and cast the Telekinesis spell. Once I had the keys in hand, it was only a matter of escaping swiftly and silently.

Stumbling out of the mine, I squinted up at the sun. It hurt my eyes a great deal—more than it normally would, as I was stuck underground for who knows how long—but it was plain to see that it was getting dark. In the distance, through the tall pines, a few rooftops could be seen. A town! I thought maybe I could find shelter there. Even if I couldn't, it'd be better than staying here with cutthroats. So I set off, at as quick a pace as I dared. (I was still sore and famished, so I couldn't move all _too_ quickly.)

'The Sleeping Giant Inn'. _Hm. Looks pleasant enough. But then, any place looks pleasant after… _I shuddered slightly, not remembering, or wanting to remember. The look I got from the residents when I burst through the door was not one I'll easily forget. Astonishment, wonder, shock, surprise… Even… Fear? Yes, fear. That was probably the most satisfying one of all, fear. I didn't get the chance to properly enjoy these looks however, because as suddenly as I had entered, I blacked out.


	2. Recovery

**'Ello again guys! Chapter 2 is here! Yeaya! This one's a bit longer than the first one, too. It shows a bit more about Séonais. After this chapter, things'll really start rolling, so hang in here with me!**

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**Delphine's POV **

The customers were all startled at the sudden bang of the door opening. Even Embry, who's usually too drunk to notice that sort of thing, was jolted in his seat.

"Hey! What's-" Sven, who had stopped in mid-song, started to demand.

More ruckus started when the figure collapsed on the floor. "Now, now, everyone! Calm down! There's sure to be a good reason for this," I tried to reassure them. "See if you can console the customers, that one's in need of assistance." I said to Orgnar, jerking my head to the body now lying on the floor.

Getting the body to a bed was easier than I thought it'd be, as it was extremely light. Probably malnourished, I figured. I wrapped its wounds and cleaned the hair and body as best I could and had Orgnar sit a bowl of soup on the bedside stand for when it came to.

Sitting back in a chair near the bedside stand, I looked her over. She was an elf, that much was obvious by the ears. What kind of elf, though? Definitely not Dunmer, Bosmer, or any other kind of elf I'd ever seen. The ears were different, so was the skin and the hair. What skin, though! It was transparent, almost like a light green tinted jelly, and it almost blended in with the bed sheets somehow. I'd definitely have many questions for this elf when she awoke.

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**Séonais' POV**

When I came to, I was starving, and confused. Not a very good combination. Groaning a bit, I pulled myself up in bed and rubbed the back of my head gingerly before looking around. _Gods. Where am I now…? _

"Shh, don't sit up too fast," said a female voice. Whipping around, I caught sight of a Nord woman in a chair next to my bed.

"Wh…" I tried to speak, to ask where I was and who she was, but it was too much effort and I slumped down in the bed again.

The woman frowned "Can you eat? I have food for you,"

I nodded weakly. Yes, food. That was what I needed. I couldn't even remember the last time I ate. I allowed the woman to spoon the soup into my mouth. Once the bowl was empty, I was feeling much better, but still pretty hungry.

"Have anything a bit heavier? …Maybe a sweetroll?" I inquired, trying not to sound rude.

The woman laughed "Yes, of course. Orgnar! Fetch a sweetroll!" She called.

After a few brief moments, another Nord man who was apparently Orgnar, brought a sweetroll. Mumbling a 'thank you' under my breath, I attacked the sweetroll, not caring about the crumbs that got on the bed.

I was so busy enjoying this that I didn't even notice the woman still watching me, or Orgnar going away. Eventually, the woman spoke. "What is your name?"

I glanced at her, mouth still half full of sweetroll. Anyone would think I was a common street rat by the look of me. "You first." I said

"I'm Delphine."

"Séonais."

"Interesting name," the woman who was now known to me as Delphine commented. "Where are you from, and who are you, exactly?"

I was a bit hesitant. "I'm a Maormer from Pyandonea."

"Maormer…" Delphine murmured "A Sea Elf? No. No, that can't be. They were wiped out in The War of the Isle in the Third Era."

I shook my head "Not wiped out. We just keep to ourselves more these days. There are fewer of us now, though. The few that remain hardly ever leave Pyandonea."

"A Sea Elf… I had no idea they even still existed." Delphine commented, a hint of amazement in her voice. "What of King Orgnum? Is he a deathless wizard, as tales say?"

I nodded "Indeed. The tales of my father are true. He has mastered the life-forces, spat in death's face."

"Wait, your _father?_ King Orgnum is your father?"

I nodded again

"By Ysmir." Delphine breathed reverently.

"My turn to question now." I stated before asking "Where am I?"

"The Sleeping Giant Inn. You stumbled in here last night. Babbled some incoherent nonsense in your sleep." Delphine said, regaining her composure.

"I see. Well, thank you for having me, but I must be going now." I said, attempting to stand up, but ultimately being pushed down onto the bed again.

"No. You're staying here until you've regained your strength."

I huffed at this, but didn't argue.

Over the next few days, I recovered fairly quickly. On the morning of the fourth day, I stood and stretched, feeling as good as new. I said my goodbyes and thanks to Orgnar and Delphine, promising to pay them back in the future when I had gold to spare. Delphine shushed me, saying there was no need to pay her and she was only doing what ought to be done. After giving me a suit of leather armor and an axe and loading my pack with food and other supplies, I set out on the road, ready to face whatever came next.


	3. Windhelm

**Chapter 3! *throws confetti everywhere* Moving right along, aren't we? ^^ In this chapter, the Dark Brotherhood questline finally is going to start. Woohoo! **

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Ultimately, I decided on taking a carriage to Windhelm to visit an old and dear friend, Voldsea Giryon. The ride there was uneventful enough. The real trouble started when I entered the city.

"You come here where you're not wanted, you eat our food, pollute our city with your stink, and yet you refuse to help the Stormcloaks!"

_Oh, that's just great. _I thought. _More harassment. It's worse than when last I was here, too._ I frowned, approaching the two men who were continuing to jeer at and accuse a Dunmer woman.

"We haven't taken a side because it's not our fight!" insisted the Dunmer woman

"Hey," said the second man "Maybe the reason these Grey-Skins don't help with the war is because they're Imperial spies!"

At that point, I decided to jump in. "Hey skeever-face, leave her alone!" I yelled.

Stomping up to me, the man narrowed his eyes at me "You've no part in this, Grey-Skin." He growled.

"Are you colorblind as well as stupid? My skin isn't grey."

"Well, well." He waved me off "But you're still a stinking elf, although I'm not entirely sure what kind. It doesn't matter, elves are elves, and elves are nothing but trouble."

"I think you need to shut your mouth." I spat.

The man raised an eyebrow "You wanna make me? Let's go! I can take you!" He raised his fists and began circling around me. He threw a punch, which I blocked.

We scuffled for a few minutes, the end resulting in the man writhing on the ground in pain—I had kicked him where the sun doesn't shine—and a large dark bruise gracing my left eye socket. Giving a small nod to the Dunmer woman, who had been watching this occurrence with avid interest, I headed to the inn that was nearby.

Inside the inn, I shivered and stomped the snow off my leather boots. _Skyrim has such a different climate than Pyandonea. Too cold for my liking. _I approached the bar and sat down on a stool. "How much for a room?"

"Ten septims."

I counted out ten of the gold coins and slid them across the counter. Curious as to what was going on, I asked the barkeeper if she had heard any rumors lately.

"Folk been hearing some strange stuff coming from the Aretino place. Chanting. Talk is, little Aventus is trying to contact the Dark Brotherhood... You don't believe that, do you?"

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I thanked the barkeeper for her time and headed back outside again. It was getting dark, but not too dark yet. It was the perfect time for a walk around town before I settled in for the night. As I wandered, a conversation caught my ear.

"Then it's true, what everyone is saying, that Aventus Aretino is doing the Black Sacrament, trying to contact the Dark Brotherhood?" Asked a little boy.

"Oh, Grimvar, always with the nonsense. No, no, of course not." Came the reply.

"Then I'll just go ask him out to play. His house is right there, I'll go knock on his door!"

"No, child, wait! That house, it's cursed!"

_Black Sacrament? Dark Brotherhood?_ _Curse? _It was all very confusing. In Pyandonea, no such thing exists. That is why, I believe, curiosity got the best of me. Sneaking around the Dunmer and the boy, I picked the lock on what was supposed to be Aventus' door and slipped inside.

Once inside, I stood there silently for a moment, listening to the slow, repetitive, monotonous chant of a child on the second level of the house.

"_Sweet mother, sweet mother,_

_Send your child unto me,_

_For the sins of the unworthy_

_Must be baptized in blood and fear."_

It was a haunting verse. Something about it both chilled me down to my very bones, and awoke a very strange feeling I never knew existed. Was it a sense of duty? Pride? Perhaps a mixture of the two? Slowly, I walked up the stairs, across the floor, and turned to see the source of the chant.

The boy was bent over a skeleton, surrounded by candles and some sprigs of nightshade. Taking a closer look, I also noticed there was some human flesh and a heart. "So… Tired…" The child, whom I presumed was Aventus, groaned before starting to chant again.

Taking a step closer, I inquired "…Are you alright?"

"It worked!" He exclaimed, pulling himself up. "I did the Black Sacrament, over and over, with the body and the… things… And it worked! You've finally come! An assassin from the Dark Brotherhood!"


	4. Thrill

**Hello, hello! Chapter 4 here! I hope if anyone has actually been reading this that they've enjoyed it so far, as I've enjoyed writing it. Reviews are always appreciated! ^^;**

**Anyhoo, in this chapter Grelod the Kind gets sent to Sithis.**

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I stared at him for a moment. This kid thought I was an assassin…? Clearly there must've been some mistake. "I'm sorry boy, but I'm not who you think I am."

Aventus gave me an odd look "Of course you are! I prayed, and you came, and now you'll accept my contract."

"Contract?"

"My mother, she... she died. I... I'm all alone now. So they sent me to that terrible orphanage in Riften. Honorhall. The headmistress is an evil, cruel woman. They call her Grelod the Kind. But she's not kind. She's terrible! To all of us! So I ran away, and came home. And performed the Black Sacrament. Now you're here! And you can kill Grelod the Kind!"

At first he sounded as if he were about to cry, but his voice then rose in excitement. I could see there was going to be no arguing with him. I'd have to go and kill this woman now. I suppressed a sigh before getting a brainwave. If I was going to kill someone, I may as well get paid for it. The coin purse Delphine had given me was beginning to get rather thin. "Assassins don't come cheap, boy."

Aventus looked a little panicked at first, but then apparently it was his turn to have a brainwave now. "I have a family heirloom you can have. It's supposed to be sort of valuable. I hope that's all right."

I nodded and left the house without another word.

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Hopping out of the carriage, I approached the Riften gate.

"Hold there." Said a guard "Before I let you into Riften, you'll need to pay the visitor's tax."

_Visitor's tax…? _I narrowed my eyes. "What's the tax for?"

"For the privilege of entering our fine city. What does it matter?"

"This is obviously a shakedown." I stated, folding my arms.

"Alright, alright, keep your voice down!" said the guard in a quick, hushed tone "You want everyone to hear you? I'll let you in, just let me unlock the gate." He went over and unlocked the large, heavy wooden doors. "Gate's unlocked, you can head inside when you're ready."

Inside, the town was sunny and a faint smell of fish permeated the air. This was a very pleasant change from Windhelm. I walked a bit, searching for the Orphanage. It was fairly easy to find, located directly behind the market stalls.

Upon entering, I eavesdropped on the conversation coming from the room next to me.

"Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating! Do I make myself clear?" Came an old woman's voice, like the squawk of an elderly crow.

"Yes, Grelod." Came the reply from each of the children.

"And one more thing! I will hear no more talk of adoptions! None of you riff-raff is getting adopted. Ever! Nobody needs you, nobody wants you. That, my darlings, is why you're here. Why you will always be here, until the day you come of age and get thrown into that wide, horrible world. Now, what do you all say?"

"We love you Grelod, and we thank you for your kindness." Was the unenthusiastic reply.

"That's better. Now scurry off, my little guttersnipes."

With that, Grelod retreated into her room and the children scampered outside to play. Another woman, who was apparently an assistant of some kind, began to cook a meal in a cooking pot that hung over the fire. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Cautiously, I slipped behind the woman and into Grelod's room, closing the door behind me.

She was sitting at a desk, apparently doing paperwork of some sort, with her back turned to me. I frowned slightly. If only I had a dagger, and not the clunky axe that Delphine gave me. I was going to have to be smart about this.

I swiftly employed a strip of cloth as a gag, shoving it into the confused and enraged woman's mouth. Before she got the time to properly react, she was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. I stood there for a moment, holding the axe that still dripped with blood. _I did it. I killed her. _

That was actually... enjoyable somehow, I'd admit. The thrill was wonderful. I had the strangest urge to do something stupid with the blood, like paint my face with it or lick it up. I stood there a few more moments, marveling at how beautiful it was. The blood, the cut… I shook my head to clear up my head. What was wrong with me? Blood couldn't be beautiful… Could it? I wiped my axe on her dress, cleaning the blood from it and painting her green and white dress with the gorgeous shade of red. I returned the axe to its holster and then exited the Orphanage as if nothing had happened.

To my surprise, I was breathing normally. I frowned slightly. Wasn't killing wrong? Shouldn't I have felt… Guilt, or something? Strangely, I still only felt the thrill. I decided to head to the inn to drink and sleep on it, as it was getting rather dark. Surely it would all make sense in the morning… Wouldn't it?


End file.
